Theatrical Blog Tour & The Ruling Class Spotlight

Hope dreams of working backstage in a theatre, and she's determined to make it without the help of her famous costume-designer mum. So when she lands an internship on a major production, she tells no one. But with a stroppy Hollywood star and his hot young understudy upstaging Hope's focus, she's soon struggling to keep her cool...and her secret.

My short review of this book is; it will make you smile a lot. That's not really how I like to leave things, so lets move on to the actual review. 

Hope has grown up with a love of theatre, hardly surprising when her mother is a famous costume designer, but Hope doesn't want to be known for her mothers legacy. She has helped out behind the scenes at her local theatre and when she is given a real opportunity shine with an internship as a deputy stage manager for a production that features a famous lead, Hope keeps it a secret from her friends and family. 

I loved Hope. She is a very likeable main character who you truly want to succeed and this is very much a feel-good story. I love the theatre but have never worked in the industry in any capacity, so this book was almost like a window into what could have been if I'd been born with more confidence.

I laughed, I cried, I loved every second of this book. The supporting cast were equally as enjoyable as Hope, especially any scenes with Luke, who is a wonderful boy that you definitely need to meet, he is the cutest. George too and I even had a soft spot for the catalyst of the novel, Tommy, I always like a character who tries to derail things, I'm a sucker for angst that way, but he has his moments and I'm sure you'll all have very mixed feelings by the time you've finished Theatrical. 

As part of the blog tour for this book, we were encouraged to talk about a theatre experience of our own, and I'm sure if you know me, you'll be surprised to know I'm not talking about Harry Potter...  

One of the best experiences I've ever had at the Theatre was seeing The Ruling Class at Trafalgar studios in February 2015. I can't believe that was over three years ago, I can still remember all the emotions I went through that day. 

The Ruling Class was the first time I'd ever gone to see a show based solely on the cast, I knew nothing of the story, just that James McAvoy was playing the lead. For anyone who doesn't know The Ruling Class, here is a the brief synopsis from the playbook; Jack, a possible paranoid schizophrenic with a Messiah complex, inherits the title of the 14th Earl of Gurney after his father passes away in a bizarre accident. Singularly unsuited to a life in the upper echelons of elite society, Jack finds himself at the centre of a ruthless power struggle as his scheming family strives to uphold their reputation.

It was a very surreal experience seeing one of my favourite actors on stage, I knew he was an amazing actor from seeing him on the big screen over the years, but in person was completely different. The character, Jack, that James was playing is manic and I can only imagine how much fun he had playing this role because he was completely eccentric with everything he did. The moment he rode a unicycle onto stage in nothing but a pair of y-fronts was particularly special. There is also a very intense ode to Jack The Ripper within the play that left me speechless. So if you're keeping track, Jack believes he's Jesus /and/ Jack The Ripper, characters with split personalties seem to be James McAvoy's forte. 

I've met actors at various conventions over the years, but even that experience couldn't compare to being a few feet away from one of your idols, while they pour their heart and soul into something. It was like seeing a live band in a smaller, academy venue. Very intimate in that sense. The rest of the cast were phenomenal support, especially Ron Cook and Kathryn Drysdale. Although the show is no longer playing, but if you enjoying reading scripts, get this one because there is so much going on, it'll make for a really interesting read. 

Regardless of what you are seeing on stage, I couldn't recommend going to the theatre more. You never know what is going to happen, I was sat a few rows behind Peter Capaldi for example. The theatre is a magical experience in more ways than one and Theatrical perfectly demonstrates this, any Theatre fan or newbie needs to make this book their next read. 

Thanks for reading!